Credit: Illustration: Badiucao
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TRANSPORT
Three cheers for urban planner Andrea Cook, leading by example in ditching her car (“A challenging path: The push to get Melburnians to ditch their cars”, 8/3).
Easy to do in downtown Abbotsford. Bouquets to Infrastructure Victoria too, for acknowledging the cost saving on a home without car parking and the evidence supporting 30km/h for urban areas.
However, let’s remember there’s no reason why the state government should wait to develop apartments at hypothetical future SRL train stations. There’s every reason to do so now, beside and above existing train stations, many of which offer large sizes with great views to the You Yangs and Port Phillip Bay, such as the busy Tarneit station.
Is it any wonder the number of cars per dwelling is skyrocketing, when growth-area suburbs are not planned well, not supported by timely rail line extensions, or shuttle bus links to existing train stations?
This adds significant cost and stress to residents desperate for some kind of affordable homeownership in the western suburbs of Melbourne.
Bernadette George, Mildura
Car a symbol of empowering self-fulfilment
The proposal that cars be displaced by alternative modes of transport has long been advocated in planning and architectural circles.
As a manifestation of industrial expansion, cars are viewed as a form of isolationist, anti-social endeavour as they discourage interacting with others, while car parks displace communal green spaces, or multi-storey housing opportunities.
Yet, we are perhaps deluded in considering that in today’s society the removal of car parking is a solution without serious ramifications, taking into account manifest tensions and increasing uncivil behaviour.
Currently, residents in Brighton are funding their own security patrols following home invasions and car thefts.
Commuting at night is a risk, and walking to and from train stations to home in the dark causes anxiety.
The state government’s blueprint to slash car parking requirements in apartment buildings, reductions at train stations and shopping strips assumes a fit, safe and healthy demographic. With its siloed focus, the Plan for Victoria blueprint reintroduces the discrimination and lack of opportunity that many have long fought to address, and where the car is a symbol of liberation empowering self-fulfilment.
Liz Burton, Camberwell
Parental concerns
Try taking a child to kindergarten, a child to school, and be at work by 9am, by only using public transport. Parents usually need a car.
Maria McKinnon, Northcote
Getting out of the bubble
The article about the push to get Melburnians to ditch their cars states why the ditching of your car has advantages. Obviously, suburbs without appropriate public transport infrastructure are car-dependent.
However, the opposition planning spokesperson states that “Unless Labor is planning for people to remain in their urban bubbles, cars will retain their status”.
This is at odds with experience of being a car-less household for over two years. Our health has been greatly benefited from the walking we do for daily tasks.
Savings on registration, insurance, maintenance, associated costs and the environment has also been of great benefit.
We may be living in an urban bubble, but I fear the spokesperson is living in a political one.
Peter Roche, Carlton
THE FORUM
Flexibility drives economy Re “Working from home’s now a culture war, and Dutton’s drawn the battle lines?” (9/3). And that’s exactly the problem – turning a practical, effective work model into a political fight.
Do you know what drives down productivity fast? Lack of choice. When women are forced into rigid work structures, everyone loses. Hybrid work helps manage paid and unpaid labour, reducing stress and improving well-being.
The Productivity Commission shows women’s full-time employment has surged more in two years than in the previous 40, thanks to flexible work.
Flexibility is an economic driver and a safeguard against burnout. The ABS confirms it reduces stress, keeps more women in the workforce, and boosts productivity. Yet, Peter Dutton wants to drag us back to rigid office mandates. Why? Outdated command-and-control work practices. Peter, the world has moved on.
This isn’t about preference – it’s about economic stability, workforce participation, and productivity. The best model isn’t either remote or office – it’s both. Let’s stop playing politics with people’s lives and embrace what works for everyone.
Sue Barrett, Caulfield South
Reverse class warfare
Peter Dutton’s latest thought bubble policy about removing working from home rights is another copycat con stolen from Trump and Musk. It is the latest weapon in the culture wars designed to distract from the fact that Dutton has no real policies of substance. Dutton has no ideas nor intention to deal with the major issues of our time: climate change, energy, housing, health, education, cost of living, and inequality. The policy may have appeal to employers, but will not appeal to workers able to work from home.
Dutton’s strategy is another exercise in grievance. His hope is to make those workers who are unable to access this arrangement angry that some other workers can. This is a feature of grievance politics, setting up a narrative of special treatment for one group so they can become a target of anger for others. This is the same pattern we see with asylum seekers, Indigenous Australians, immigrants, and transsexuals. The Coalition is very quick to trot out the old “class warfare” cliche whenever anyone suggests some constraints on the rich and powerful. Yet, its attacks on the rights of workers are themselves a form of reverse class warfare.
Dutton and the Coalition will always work to undermine the benefits and conditions of working people, and dividing workers is a tactic to do just that.
Graeme Henchel, Yarra Glen
Work-from-home warning
We keep waiting to hear what a prospective Coalition government’s vision is for Australia, but it seems bereft of any compelling ideas. The latest “big thinking” is to rein in working from home arrangements and demonise public servants. Jacqueline Maley’s article about working from home (9/3) highlights that working from home can be a mixed bag, but what has emerged post-COVID-19 is an increase in female workforce participation. Undoubtedly, greater flexibility through these arrangements makes it a more family-friendly approach.
The Coalition seems intent on immersing itself in issues that stoke division and seek to disenfranchise an important part of our electorate, working families.
Should the Coalition attain power after the upcoming election, where will it take us as a nation and whose interests will it serve?
Anne Lyon, Camberwell
How’s the equality?
Shane Wright’s article ″Rich getting richer with inequality at two-decade high″ (6/3) and your correspondent’s letter (″Rising Inequality″ 8/3), are examples of the occasional mention of inequality in the media. Inequality has a strong negative effect on many important issues in our society, for instance homelessness, teenage crime, educational outcomes. More emphasis needs to be placed on reducing inequality. One way to achieve this would be to appoint a Minister for Equality or creation of a new political party – the Equality Party.
Valerie Evans, Cheltenham
Meaning of greatness
We are hearing a lot about making countries “great”, but how can we measure “greatness”?
For a country, there is internal health and external behaviour, the same as a person really. Internal health for the country would mean overall sustainable wealth with reasonable wealth distribution and all the things that goes with those, including humanitarian matters. For external behaviour, the country would engage with respect. It seems that the US really does need to address some of those things. A diet of some kind would help the internal health. But we know diets need a complete change of lifestyle. There are no quick fixes. Externally, the US could benefit with training in listening, cultural awareness and respect. The US does need to be great again, but with a cultural change rather than a crash diet.
Martin Baggott, Camberwell
US power play
I have a friend who lives in the US where one of its main US navy bases is located. He is a recently retired nuclear engineer who spent his working life going around the world fixing US nuclear submarines. When Scott Morrison ditched the French submarine contract and said Australia would purchase its nuclear submarines from the US, I received from my friend an unprompted one-line email: “Do not buy US nuclear submarines”. Subsequently, he has told me the US government will “never share the nuclear technology” that powers their submarines ″with anybody”.
The implication is perfectly clear. Despite the colossal cost to Australia and a very uncertain timetable as to when any of the US submarines will be delivered in the next 20 to 40 years, when they are crewed by Australians, they will simply operate as an adjunct to the US navy and never be completely under Australian control.
As for the delivery timetable, does anybody really have an idea what it is? A couple of days ago a Trump spokesperson said the US has an expectation Australia will raise its defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP. What an excellent lever for Trump, and subsequent US administrations, to use to delay completion of the AUKUS contract. In this situation, I’m inclined to agree with retired Rear Admiral Peter Briggs that the AUKUS deal should be set aside and the purchase of the French nuclear submarines reinstated.
Tony Adami, Caulfield South
Leadership on show
It is heartening for those of us in Far North Queensland to see political bipartisanship during the serious weather event in Queensland and northern NSW.
We are used to cyclones up here, and to see the federal, state, local governments and local volunteer agencies working seamlessly provide a template for future situations. Given the past abysmal response to flooding in 2022, this is a refreshing change. Politics, instead of leadership during these times, is not the answer.
Sandy Phillips, Cairns, Qld
Food prices
Talk about walking on eggshells. (“Shoppers, farmers brace for years-long egg shortage”, 9/3) could our chickens be the canaries down the coal mine? Grain prices are also rising. War across the northern European grain belt and climatic instability around the world are creating shortages of vital ingredients of human and animal feed. It’s not power costs that are going to drive up inflation; it’s food prices. Maybe we’ll just have to ration how much we eat. We’ve done it before.
John Mosig, Kew
Youth rehabilitation
Maybe the state government could set up live-in youth, relatively comfortable accommodation, as a type of boot camp where they can learn new skills and further their education under patient, encouraging leadership. Rules have to be followed with consequences if they are not.
Animals could be incorporated into their lives to help them respect and value others. The money spent on the current revolving door could be invested into the costs of this project.
Johanna Walker, Mount Waverley
The unaffordable game
In the odd chance anyone at the AFL may read this, or even care, its decision to allow so much of the game to be only viewed via paid subscriptions is a disgrace to the people who have supported the code over the long term.
I can’t afford a subscription to any paid service, and generally, I can’t afford to take my kids to a game. How is the AFL going to keep younger generations interested? And I’m not talking about the private school boys. There is something called the triple bottom line, social, environmental and economic. All three matter. It’s a people’s game, but only if you can afford it.
Michael Carver, Hawthorn East
Bread binned
It saddened me to see the article (8/3) about the Mornington Peninsula Shire closing down the Bread Box in Mount Martha. It was such a beautiful thing to do while going for a walk with my grandchildren and their dog. The owner of this delicious sourdough bread stall always greeted you with a lovely smile and friendly service. These are the little things that make a community.
Marilyn Hoban, Mornington
Don’t shut it down
The Bread Box is a wonderful community asset in Mount Martha. Most of us park for less than five minutes, and have a quick chat with our neighbours while we purchase the most delicious sourdough. The local council should welcome such initiatives, not shut them down.
Sarah Russell, Mount Martha
AND ANOTHER THING
Bike boy
Why are these wealthy Liberal supporters putting so much effort into the ″bike boy″ scandal, when they could concentrate on efforts to win government for the Liberal Party?
Louis Ferrari, Richmond
Victorian Liberal voters are in despair. They crave forward-looking policies from a party still fixated on the long-departed Daniel Andrews.
Peter Bennett, Clifton Hill
Furthermore
Really obvious that if we can’t get 100 per cent guarantee of delivery of subs, we need to make alternative arrangements now.
George Stockman, Berwick
Jacqueline Maley (Comment, 9/3) believes that Elon Musk is guided by nothing but ″dumb ideology″ as he ″massacres″ the US civil service. Dumb ideology and reckless spending are what actually created the mess that Elon is fixing.
Tom Higgs, Bell Post Hill
Never mind the hose, mop or sandbag. What Australians want to see Peter Dutton holding in his hand is policy detailing a plan to rapidly lower carbon emissions to keep our climate safe.
Jenny Smithers, Ashburton
I’m sure those currently living with the effects of climate change – floods, cyclones and drought, ruined houses and broken lives, would agree with Abbott’s infamous comment: Climate change really is crap.
James McDougall, Fitzroy North
I’ve been watching and enjoying Muster Dogs on TV recently. They certainly have more appeal and are better behaved than a lot of the so-called “leaders” we see in the news.
Sue Whitelaw, Anglesea
Looks like the Burke and Wills’ statue (″Journey of Burke and Wills’ statue continues″, 9/3) may see more of Melbourne than Burke and Wills ever did.
Les Aisen, Elsternwick
Finally
No free-to-air football games on Saturday nights. AFL, the people’s game.
John Nash, Altona
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